Ferch, Hefty earn second straight first team honor

November 20, 2012

West Marshall, North Tama and South Tama all made it to the quarterfinal round of their respective classes this past football season.

And all three programs were well-represented on the Iowa Newspaper Association's all-state football squads.

The Redhawks landed six players on the Class A squad, while Duncan Ferch and Kyle Stephenson headlined the West Marshall Trojans and South Tama County Trojans in Class 2A and 3A, respectively.

North Tama went 10-2 this season and a big reason why was quarterback Jacob Wrage and linebacker Nolan Hefty, who both earned first-team selections.

Also earning a spot on the first team was wide receiver Mitchell Boerm and defensive linemen Skyler Kvidera. Kicker Tanner Swanger and defensive back Brent Billerbeck were both third-team honorees.

Hefty earned a first-team spot after recording 182 tackles and two interceptions. The 182 tackles was tops by more than 20 in Class A.

Wrage also had a special season for the Redhawks as he was second in Class A with 2,281 passing yards, 24 TDs and nine interceptions. He also rushed for 652 yards and scored 11 more times.

Boerm was first in Class A with 55 pass catches and third in yardage with 862 while scoring 10 times. Kvidera had 94 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, two sacks and three fumble recoveries while earning first-team defensive lineman honors.

Swanger was a first-team kicker last season but grabbed third-team recognition in 2012 after converting 41-of-46 PATs and 2-of-5 field goals.

Also earning third-team honors was Billerbeck, who did just about everything for the Redhawks this season. Billerbeck had 577 yards receiving and 383 yards rushing with 10 total offensive touchdowns. He was honored as a defensive back because of his six interceptions.

West Marshall lost to Carroll-Kuemper in the Class 2A quarterfinals this season but three players had spectacular seasons for the Trojans.

Ferch was a first-team utility member last year and got back on the first team as a running back in 2012. He rushed for a Class 2A-best 2,226 yards, scored a 2A-best 33 touchdowns and has one year left in State Center.

Joining Ferch on the Class 2A all-state first team is a pair of linemen in Colby Dunn and Bailey Brockman.

Dunn earned the recognition as an offensive lineman who was key in the Trojan running game. But Dunn also had 78 tackles and four sacks on defense.

Brockman was honored for his play on the defensive line after collecting 84 tackles, 21 tackles for loss and 10 sacks.

South Tama County won seven games in the regular season in 2012 after earning just three wins the season before.

The Trojans were honored with four all-state selections. Joining Stephenson on the first team was punter Sam Kuhter, while Trevor Rohach earned second team all-state honors on the offensive line and Erik Lux was a third-team linebacker.

Stephenson rushed for a Class 3A-high 2,133 yards and scored a 3A-best 28 touchdowns. He also had 67 tackles and six sacks on the Trojan defense this year.

Kuhter, who was the team's starting QB, averaged nearly 40 yards per punt and had a long of 63 yards.

Rohach was a big reason why Stephenson had such a strong season at running back, and he also had 70 tackles on defense.

Lux, who also started at fullback for STC, finished with 77 tackles and five sacks this season. On offense, he rushed for 377 yards and two scores.

Gladbrook-Reinbeck, Grundy Center and Colo-NESCO also featured players who earned all-state recognition by the INA.

Dylan Lyman made his second straight all-state team for the Spartans. Lyman was a third-team linebacker in 2011 but made the first team in 2012 as a defensive back. Lyman rushed for 862 yards and six touchdowns this season offense and had 49 tackles and three interceptions on defense.

Also earning an all-state honor was defensive lineman Brady Hook, who had 45 tackles. Hook earned third-team recognition in 2012 after being named to the second team on the offensive line in 2011.

The Rebels also landed two players on the all-state team after earning a playoff berth this season.

Grabbing first-team honors as a kicker was Wyatt Swanson, while Pete Meyers was named a third-team defensive lineman.

Swanson connected on 26-of-31 PATs and was 2-of-2 in field goals with a long of 33. Meyers had 75 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, four sacks and two fumble recoveries for the Rebel defense.

Colo-NESCO earned a playoff berth in 8-player action this season and was rewarded with two all-state selections as Brandyn Niemeyer and Jake Webb were both third-team selections. Niemeyer was a third-team running back after tallying 2,169 rushing yards and 34 touchdowns this year. He also threw for 516 yards and seven scores.

Webb was a big reason why Niemeyer had so much success as his third-team selection came as an offensive lineman.